One winner from Myriad 2017 was Queensland-based BenchOn, which provides a platform to solve the problem of employee under-utilisation by matching idle staff to short-term contracts from reputable companies.

BenchOn founder and CEO Tim Walmsley said connections made at Myriad had delivered bottom-line results.

‘Myriad is really paying off for us on a number of fronts, and in particular it has opened up new opportunities for us in the education sector,’ Mr Walmsley said.

‘Due to unexpected demand, we’re trialling placing graduates in short-term contract roles, which creates a new market for us, and we pushed forward our next investment round by three to four months thanks to the new investor relationships we made there.’

Queensland Chief Entrepreneur Mark Sowerby said the success of the 2017 event was just the start of the impact Myriad will have on the Australian start-up sector.

‘The buzz at Myriad was electric and that was from everyone,’ Mr Sowerby said.

‘That’s local, national and international speakers, exhibitors, delegates and investors, all colliding and connecting — the place was just going off and that was just the start.’

Brisbane will also play host to Myriad 2018, with dates to be announced soon.

The festival is presented by Myriad Live in conjunction with the Queensland Government.